Coffin-retaining device for hearses



Y W. B. PARSELS COFFIN RETAINING DEVICE FOR HEARSES Filed April 1, 1924lwueutoz Patented Dec. 8, 1925.

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VVILLKAM B. PARSELS, OF PLEASANTVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

COIEFIN-RETAINING DEVICE FOR I-IEARSEFa.

Application filed April 1, 1924.

An object of this invention is to provide a combined roller and cofiinretaining device which is intended to facilitate the insertion andremoval of a coffin with relation to a hearse, and prove effective toprevent lateral shifting of the coflin with relation to the rollers.

It is a further object of this invention to produce an anti-shiftingdevice operative Without the employment of mechanically actuated means,and effective by reason of the weight of the coflin to prevent saidshifting.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a device whichis automatic in its action to prevent the shifting of a coffin, and ofsuch character as to obviate the installation of mechanically operateddevices for preventing said shifting.

It is a well known fact that where provision is not made to guardagainst lateral movement of a coflin, they frequently shift sidewiseuntil the sides of the coffin contact the guard rails and they thenbecome abraded and damaged, a condition which this invention seeks toprevent.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination ofparts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and inwhich- Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of a hearse body showingdevices embodying the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 illustrates a plan view of one of fierial No. 703,471.

the combined rollers and retaining devices; and

Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of a fragment thereof.

In these drawings, no attempt has been made to illustrate parts of ahearse, except the parts with which the invention is related, and in thepresent embodiment of the invention the hearse floor 5 has the usualroller 6 at the rear to facilitate the movement of the coflin as it isplaced in or removed from the hearse.

Furthermore, the hearse floor as conventionally made has a plurality ofslots such as 7 in which anti-fric ion rollers are rotatably mounted tofacilitate the manipulation of the coflin while it is being moved.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the ordinary anti-frictionrollers are omitted and combined anti-friction rollers and coflinretaining devices are substituted, one being placed in each of the slots7 The rollers 8 of this invention have the usual trunnions 9 at the endsand the periphery of the roller has preferably a plurality ofcircumferential shoulders 10 arranged in pairs, the shoulders of eachpair being oppositely faced. As here shown, there are two pairs ofshoulders on each roller and the roller is beveled oppositely from eachshoulder of a pair to form a relatively sharp edge 11 where the shoulderand beveled surface merge. These sharp edges are relied upon by theinventor to cut into or imbed themselves in the bottom of the coffin toa degree which will serve to anchor the coflin and prevent its sidewisemovement with relation to the floor of the hearse. The roller also has acircumferential rib 12 at approximately its center, and the said rib hasoutwardly. converging surfaces and a relatively sharp edge that willalso produce a groove in the bottom of the coffin and aid in holding thecoffin anchored.

The inventor does not wish to be limited with relation to the form ofthe anchoring projections. but in practice the form illustrated isbelieved to possess that strength and durability, as well as efficiency,which will render the device satisfactory in operation.

The rollers have coflin supporting surfaces between the shoulders whichserve to limit the depth of the groove in the bottom of the coffin.

I claim:

1. In a coffin retaining device, rollers adapted to support a coffinwhen in a hearse, each of the said rollers having circumferentialshoulders integral therewith with relatively sharp edges, the saidrollers having cotlin supporting surfaces between the shoulders to limitthe action of the edges of the shoulders on the bottom of the cofiin,substantially as described.

2. In a coflin anchoring device, rollers adapted to be mounted in ahearse to support a coilin, the said rollers having pairs of shoulderson each side of the center oppositely faced, the said shoulders havingrc1atively sharp edges, substantially as described.

3. .A coflin retaining device comprising rollers adapted to be rotatablymounted in a hearse, the said rollers each having pairs of shoulders onopposite sides of the center, the shoulders of each pair facingoppositely and having peripheral cutting edges, and an illterIn-ediatecircumferential rib having its surfaces diverging from its periphery toits merger With the roller and a relatively sharp edge operative toproduce a groove in the bottom or a coffin traveling thereon.

WILLIAM B. PARSELS.

